Managing the Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP)

Link Layer Discovery Protocol (LLDP) is a protocol that allows stations attached to an IEEE 802 LAN to advertise to one another and receive LLDP neighbor information and display it. The LLDP is received in the module and information is reported to Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance Sensor Control. The sensor orchestration capabilities within Provider Connectivity Assurance (formerly Skylight orchestrator) can perform inventory from Sensor Control or perform a search to find the module using LLDP neighbor information. It is also possible for the user to query the LLDP neighbor information and populate a third party LLDP neighbor database used for topology discovery. The database can be populated using either Sensor Control API or sensor orchestration API.

LLDP advertisement

LLDP advertisement uses Fiber or RJ45 and the SFP Host. The system description is the device name, which is the serial number by default. Once updated by Sensor Control, the new device name will be advertised. The device name is persistent in the module in order to consistently have the same discovery information. The device name is also configurable with Cisco Provider Connectivity Assurance Module Dock (formerly Skylight module dock).

The following LLDP advertisements are transmitted by a module:

• Source MAC = device base MAC address (a module advertise the same MAC on both ports)
• Chassis = Device Serial Number
• SFP-1, SFP-2 for Ant and combo RJ45-1 and RJ45-2; and FIBER, RJ45 and SFPHOST for SFP
• System description = “device model”, FW: “feature-suite.version”, “device type”
• System Name = Device Name which is the serial number by default but can be edited.

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  Note: The device name is expected to remain the same in the module, so the LLDP advertisement stays consistent even when management is lost.

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• Management address = list of IP addresses that can be used for management and associated ifindex. The ifindex is the interface index of the remote device interface in Sensor Control that is managing the device.

LLDP Neighbor

The LLDP Neighbor is the advertisement received by a module has the following content for any network element:

• Source MAC
• Chassis
• Port
• System description
• System Name
• Management address

▶ To find a module using LLDP neighbor

1. Establish the Sensor Control that is managing the module by using the device name, module serial number or source MAC address.

2. Find the module port name.

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   Note: The port neighbor contains: SFP-1, SFP-2 for Ant and combo RJ45-1 and RJ45-2; and FIBER, RJ45 and SFPHOST for SFP. The port name is Skylight sensor: control is “device name”-"NNI" or "UNI“ and the port name can be resolved using the port connector.

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Integration with sensor orchestration capabilities within Provider Connectivity Assurance

Sensor orchestration capabilities within Provider Connectivity Assurance LLDP inventory gathers the LLDP neighbor information of the managed elements. The LLDP inventory also supports gathering the LLDP neighbor from Sensor Control. For more information, see the Sensor Orchestration as a Capability within Provider Connectivity Assurance user documentation.

Sensor Control uses LLDP to advertise connectivity and management information about itself to adjacent stations, as well as to receive and display network management information from adjacent stations residing on the same IEEE 802 LAN.

▶ To view and manage LLDP information

1. Access the page Show ▶ LLDP.
   All remote devices' ports and their current status are displayed. Each remote device is listed with paired ports: one UNI port (for example, E011-0036-UNI) and one NNI port (for example, E011-0036-NNI) per device.

2. (Optional) To limit the view to only certain ports, enter a value on which to filter, then click Search.
   

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   Note: Enter an asterisk ( * ) as a wildcard to replace one or several characters.

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3. To view detailed LLDP information related to a specific port, click the Port Name in the LLDP Configuration section.
   Details pertaining to the selected port are displayed.

4. Manage how LLDP frames are transmitted on this port using the State, Rate, Forward, Status, Neighbor System Name, and** Neighbor System Description** parameters of the LLDP Configuration section.

For more information on specific parameters, refer to the tables at the end of this section.

Show ▶ LLDP

LLDP (Show ▶ LLDP)
LLDP Statistics

LLDP Configuration